The Last Time
by Bambino-Andrea
Summary: Andrew breathes deeply and prepares for what could possibly be the stupidest thing he’s ever done. He’s glad his sister isn’t here to see him now, what would she say? What are you thinking, Andrea? You will be arrested! Jail is no place for my baby brother!
1. Chapter 1

Andrew walks slowly into the hyperbaric chamber room, trying to keep from looking too tense, which is difficult considering Catherine Fox is breathing down his neck. He has been thinking about what to say to Meredith since he first made his decision, _the _decision, and yet, when he sees her through the small window in the chamber, every word leaves his mind. Catherine nudges him and he steps closer.

"Dr. Grey?" He asks, getting her attention. She turns around to look at him and he can see that she was having an important conversation with Alex, probably about Jo.

"Hey. It's not a good time." She says, shaking her head at him. He's used to her saying this, she's been avoiding him not-so-subtly the past few days, ever since he told her he loves her. He's sure she's assuming he wants to talk to her about that and he's slightly heartbroken that she's brushed him off so hastily, but he knows that what's happening with Jo is important to Alex and therefore important to her.

"This can't wait." He says quickly, gesturing with his eyes to Catherine behind him. Meredith looks at her for a moment, her eyes worried.

"What happened? Where's Jo?" She asks, her eyes flitting back to him. He doesn't know what to say to her so he just ignores her question and goes right into it, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides.

"Your patient, Gabby Rivera... I, uh.. I lied to you." He says, having to force himself to maintain eye contact when all he wants is to look away.

"What?" She asks, her voice concerned and slightly angry. Andrew breathes deeply and prepares for what could possibly be the stupidest thing he's ever done. He's glad his sister isn't here to see him now, what would she say? _What are you thinking, Andrea? You will be arrested! Jail is no place for my baby brother!_

"She didn't have insurance, and she shouldn't have been admitted, but I wanted her to get the surgery very badly." He turns his head to look at Catherine for a moment because he can't stand to look at the confused look on Meredith's face anymore. But he has to look at her because this may be the last time he sees her. He pushes that thought to the very back of his mind because it makes his stomach twist and turn and he thinks he might be sick if he lets it stay in his mind. "So, I didn't tell anyone, and I put another name down on the paperwork." He says with a slight sigh.

Her reaction is about what he had expected, but it still breaks his heart. Her eyes are wide with realization and her eyebrows are furrowed with slight confusion. He sees the gears in her brain turning and he remembers how he used to love just watching her think, how beautiful she was when she was deep inside herself.

"Your daughter's name, Ellis, and I'm so sorry." He continues, but he can barely get the words out before she's protesting.

"Andrew, no." She says and her face is reprimanding him but her voice sounds more like a plea.

"It's all been cleared up." His voice starts to break and he curses the tears starting to well in his eyes. "I got caught." He shrugs. "I just spoke with Chief Bailey and Doctor Fox. I wanted to apologize to you first before going to the police to let you know what I'd done." He explains, placing his hand on the side of the window. Her face changes at the word 'police'.

"No! Andrew, do not do that!" She demands, pointing her finger at him as if he's one of her children and she's reprimanding him. He sees tears starting to form in her eyes and he thinks his heart is tearing itself apart in his chest.

"It's not fair to you, and it's not fair to your kids, who need you." He explains himself to her, hoping that she understands what he means, that he's doing this for her, because he loves her and he can't let her go to jail, he can't let her children, who he's only met briefly but already fallen in love with, lose their mother as well. Not when he can do something about it. "I committed a felony. And I'll likely go to jail." He continues. She no longer makes any attempt to hold back her tears as one escapes from her eyelid and descends down her face. He wants so badly to wipe it away, to hold her tightly and tell her how much he loves her and to say that he's sorry it had to be this way and that he wishes it was different.

"I'm sorry I put you all at risk." He says. He feels Catherine grab his shoulder and he knows he has to leave. Suddenly, he's filled with panic, he doesn't want to leave her, this moment can't be over yet. The thought is back, prominent and wreaking havoc in his brain. If this is the last time he ever sees her, how could he ever walk away? Meredith moves closer to the window, banging on the side of the chamber.

"Andrew, no! Andrew, don't! Do not go to the police!" She yells, her voice filled with desperation. Catherine pulls him away, ready to lead him out of the room. He turns to her one last time, places his hand against the glass of the window, and mouths _I love you_ to her before he turns and walks toward the door, Catherine riding his tail. Meredith is screaming at this point, crying out his name over and over again. He feels what's left of his heart shattering as he's forced to walk away from her. He wants more than anything to look back at her but he can't, he won't, because he knows that if he sees her crying and begging for him he won't be able to resist her, and he knows that will only makes this harder for the both of them.

**A/N: I'm so upset by this scene that I just had to write it out, also I know that he said "I have to go" and not "I love you" but I preferred him ****saying "I love you" so I wrote it that way. There will maybe be a second chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm sick this weekend (maybe not a coincidence I got sick the day after this episode... apparently this show is making me physically sick now, gotta love it) so I have nothing to do but sit in bed and eat and write. Here's... this. It basically starts at the same point as the last chapter but goes through what happens after, Meredith's reaction, etc. Some Merlex because I'm a sucker. **

**xxxxxxx**

Every thought and worry about Jo and Alex leaves Meredith's mind as soon as she hears the name "Gabby Rivera" from Andrew's mouth. She knows exactly what this is about and when he looks back at Catherine Fox, one of the very few people in the world who are still the boss of her, she fears the worst. She's been found out, she's been exposed. Andrew must have told Catherine everything, they're here to fire her, or worse, arrest her. She thinks back to that morning, leaving the house. Was that the last time she would ever see her kids? But then he finished his sentence and suddenly she was very confused. He lied to her? About what?

Her confusion only deepened when he explained the situation with the insurance exactly as it was as if she hadn't been a part of it. She knew Gabby didn't have insurance. She knew that she was admitted anyway. She knew that all of them wanted her to have the surgery. She narrowed her eyes at him, her mouth hanging open slightly to convey her confusion. She looked to Catherine in the hopes of finding an explanation from her, but only saw a stone cold, unamused, and frankly terrifying facial expression. What in the world was going on?

"I didn't tell anyone, and I put another name down on the paperwork." He says. Oh. _Oh._ No, no no. This isn't happening. Her eyes widen. She looks to Catherine incredulously. Catherine only looks at the floor. She looks back to Andrew. He's trying to comfort her with his eyes, she can see it. His face says _stay calm_. How can she stay calm? He's still talking but she doesn't hear him. Her eyes burn as she feels tears prick at them.

"Andrew, no." She cries, trying to keep her face stern but it's no use because the weakness is evident in her voice. The emotion in his eyes deepens, he looks more desperate, he's truly speaking to her through his eyes, to the point where she can barely understand his words. _It's okay. Don't freak out, Meredith, please. _Don't freak out. _Yeah right_. She is not letting him do this. She fights with all of her will to keep her face stern, exactly how she acts with her children. Their eyes are arguing while he stays completely calm.

She hears the word 'Police' and is dragged back to reality, out of the alternate dimension that is his eyes, into a body that is sounding just about every alarm. Her stomach is clenching and is apparently trying to flip itself over inside of her, her legs are shaky and wobbly and she thinks she might collapse, her hands are shaking and she steadies them on her hips to make it less obvious, and the tears that she had worked so hard to conceal are now prominent in her eyes, forcing her to use some of the energy she needs for things like standing and not letting her stomach turn itself inside out for holding them back because she can't cry in front of her boss, no matter the situation.

"No, Andrew do not do that!" She says, not even aware that she's speaking out loud. At this point, her mind is such a clouded, emotional mess that she has no idea if what he's saying is out loud or just in her mind, or if she's actually speaking or entirely silent. All that she has are singular words, ricocheting around her head so forcefully that she can barely hang onto them. Kids. Felony. Jail. _Jail?_ A tear escapes her desperate efforts to hold back her emotions and trails down her face and with the mental capability that she has left she knows that she can't let him do this. There has to be another way.

She springs to action when she sees him start to turn away, her hand banging on the wall of the hyperbaric chamber. "Andrew, no! Andrew, don't!" She cries. _Don't what?_ She doesn't quite know. _Don't leave? Don't do this? Don't go to the police? That one seems reasonable enough._ "Andrew, do not go to the police!" He's still turning away from her. _Why is he still leaving?_ Is she speaking out loud? Can he hear her? "Do not!" She's quite sure that she's screaming at this point because she can hear her words echoing around the chamber and back to her ears. Maybe the chamber is soundproof? Is that why he won't turn around to look at her?

It doesn't matter, she resolves, she can't let him do this. He places his hand on the window and looks at her and suddenly she's back, lost in his eyes and the desperate message he's sending her. _I'm sorry. _And then he's mouthing the words to her, _the_ words, and everything she thought she had under control tumbles like a Jenga tower falling apart all at once. She makes no attempt to stop the tears leaking from her eyes and she slams her hand against the window of the chamber screaming his name over and over.

She lost sight of him seconds ago, or maybe it's been minutes, she has no idea. Still she's banging on the window calling his name with more desperation each time. Her voice begins to break and she feels the adrenaline from her panic wearing off as the gravity of what he's doing sets in. His words come back to her. _F__elony, jail, police. _She think's she's falling and then yes, she's definitely falling, and Alex is catching her and she can't breathe, she's sobbing and she can't form coherent thoughts, everything and nothing is happening in her mind and she thinks she may pass out.

"Look at me. Look at me. Breathe." Alex says, holding her tightly and looking down at her, his face full of worry and concern and slight sympathy. She looks up at him but she can't comprehend what he's asking her to do. What does he mean, breathe? _Breathe, okay, breathe_, how does she do that? What is she doing?

Her vision is getting spotty and she thinks she sees stars, she knows that's not a good thing but she doesn't have the power to stop it. She doesn't notice when Alex lets go of her or his frantic searching the chamber until he's back and she feels something slip over her head. The stars go away and she's looking into Alex's eyes. _Oh. Breathe._

Her brain seems to finally work and she holds onto him tightly, breathing deeply into the oxygen mask he'd placed over her mouth and nose. He sighs in relief and relaxes, pulling her against him in a tight hug. _What is he doing?_ They don't hug. But, if she's honest, his embrace calms her, she feels slightly better, and it makes her forget about everything for a moment. He's whispering calming things in her ear and she thinks her heart is done trying to break its way out of her chest, she's breathing normally again and the tears dripping from her eyes have slowed down, but not completely stopped.

She leans back and looks at him, knowing her eyes are probably bloodshot and puffy and she must look like a sniveling mess but not caring, and pulls the mask away from her for a moment. "Thank you." She manages to croak, wiping the remaining tears from her face. He smirks at her.

"Shut up." He chuckles and hugs her again, not as tightly but still comforting. "I'm your person." They both laugh and he helps her up, looking at her seriously. She sighs.

"Alex, What am I going to do?"

xxxxxxx

**A/N: I feel like I went really in depth into Meredith's thoughts in this one, exactly what's going on in her brain and how she's coping. I really liked the idea that she and Andrew were having an entirely different conversation just with their eyes because it kind of seems like they are in the scene, they both know things Catherine doesn't and he has to tell her things he can't say out loud, with him mouthing words to her instead of speaking. I don't know if I'll write more to this, it depends if I think of a way to extend it further. Hope you enjoyed.**


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